Below is the schedule of events for the Women’s Council that includes all committee meetings, social engagements and educational sessions.

2008 IBS Schedule  
Meetings and educational programs will be in the Orange County Convention Center.  Events are as noted.

Women's Council Headquarters
Monday through Friday / 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. / W106, Level 1

Sunday, February 10
Noon-4:00 p.m. / NAHB Executive Committee / W 230
    
Monday, February 11     
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. / Membership Committee / W 105 A
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. / Legislative Committe / W 105 A
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. / Communications Committee / W 105 A
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. / Scholarship Committee / W 105 A
3:30 p.m. -5:00 p.m. / Area Trustees / W 105 A

Tuesday, February 12    
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. / Past Presidents and Chairs / W 330 C
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. / New Member Orientation / Women's Council Headquarters
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. / Awards Luncheon / Rosen Centre
1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. / Area Caucuses / W 224 D
1:30 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. / Board of Trustees and Delegates / W 224 D

Wednesday, February 13 
7:45 a.m.-9:30 a.m. / GAMA Breakfast / W 105 B
10:30 a.m. / NAHB Opening Ceremonies 
10:30 a.m.-Noon / "Construction Scheduling-Family First" / W 315
1:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m. / NAHB Area Caucuses 
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. /  "Her Home in 2015" / W 311 E-H
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. / Members-at-Large Meet and Greet / W 106
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. / Local President Orientation / W 110 A
2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. / Area Trustee Orientation / W 110 A
6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. / Women's Council Spike Reception / Rosen Shingle Creek, Panzacola G-I

Thursday, February 14    
8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. / "Marketing to Singles" / W 304 A-D
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. / "Mars and Venus" / S 330 E-H
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. / "Kitchen 4Mula" / W 320
3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. / NAHB Board of Directors Meeting
6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. / Women's Council Leadership Circle / Rosen Shingle Creek, Panzacola F-I
7:00 p.m. / NAHB Spike Party / Citywalk

Friday, February 15  
8:00 a.m.-Noon / NAHB Board of Directors Meeting 
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. / "Lifestages" / W 311 E-H
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. / "Zap the Gap" / W 315
Evening / NAHB Leadership Celebration / Rosen Shingle Creek, Gatlin D

• Let your members know that their membership is annual. In other words, even if they are no longer affiliated with their employer, they are still a member of the council.
  
  
• Remind them to stay involved in the council. In tough times, many fall back on their professional affiliations and organizations. It can be a great way to network with other members of the industry and create new contacts and potential job leads.
  
  
• Keep membership records updated with members professional as well as personal contact information, so you can stay in touch if they change jobs.

For more information on how to combat membership attrition, please contact NAHB’s Women’s Council at womenscouncil@nahb.com [return to top]

What Do We Know?

From Census Bureau research, NAHB’s Economics Group tells us that:

• 6.5 million, or 28% of the 23 million companies in the U.S. are owned by women, with an additional 12% equally male and female owned.
  
  
• There were 2.8 million firms in the construction sector, and 7% of these were solely owned by women — a total of 201,791 companies.
  
  
• Whether male of female owned, most companies in construction had no paid employees; only 26% or nearly 730,000 firms reported that they had at least one employee on the payroll.

This percentage was nearly the same when female-owned firms are tallied.  51,700 have paid employees — reporting nearly 456,000 on their payrolls. These firms reported sales of about $62 billion in 2002.

The top states with female-owned firms in construction were Texas, Florida, California and New York where women owned from 6% to 8% of the firms.

A more comprehensive report will appear in the winter issue of Building Women magazine and an executive summary is available on the Women’s Council Select Web site. For more information on the survey, please contact NAHB at womenscouncil@nahb.org. [return to top]

With proceeds going to the Women’s Council Educational Scholarship Fund, the event was geared for novice individuals who have no or very little knowledge of reading blueprints. The seminar’s objectives have always been to help one understand the nuances and special language spoken in a set of blueprints and to learn to navigate its special markings, much like one reads a road map. The goal of the seminar is for the earliest beginner to feel comfortable with understanding all the symbols, denotations, grid lines, section marks, elevation lines, scale, sheet numbers and legends that appear on an average set of blueprints. 

The class was been developed by Jan and Michael Frazier, of Frazier Group Architects, and by Karen Dry, president of Garrett Interiors, Inc. Each student receives a sample set of blueprints along with a handbook filled with different glossary of terms, symbols and blueprint abbreviations, underwritten by Countrywide Home Loans.

Each seminar student also receives a special gift bag including items such as an architect scale ruler, pencil and tape measure with level — all of which are included in the seminar fee. 

If anyone is interested in attending future seminars or becoming a part of the BIA/SC Women’s Council, please contact 909-396-9993, or log onto the Web site. [return to top]

The prestigious awards will be presented at a gala dinner as part of the 10th anniversary of the NAHB National Green Building Conference in New Orleans, May 11-13.

Building entries can be scored to the green home certification system of the applicant's choice. However, to facilitate judging, all single-family homes must also be scored to the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which are available at www.nahb.org/gbg.
Award categories include:

• Green Building Program of the Year
• Green Advocate of the Year
• Outstanding Green Marketing Program
• Green Project of the Year, awarded in four categories: Single-Family, Multifamily, Development and Remodeling

All award applications are available online here, but entries must be submitted by mail. The application includes instructions for including photographs and other graphics. Applications are due Jan. 30, 2008, and all entrants must be NAHB members.

The NAHB National Green Building Conference is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2008. Attendance at the annual event is expected to be nearly double the previous record of 1,100 home builders, remodelers, architects, suppliers and environmental officials which was set earlier this year when the conference was held in St. Louis.

Exhibit booths are selling briskly and potential exhibitors can contact Christopher Hood at NAHB at 800-368-5242 x8684.

Additional information about the awards program is available from Emily English, NAHB green building program manager, at 800-368-5242 x8366. [return to top]

The hour-long teleconference, Ramp Up Your Sales & Marketing in a Changing Market, will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 12.

A panel of sales and marketing experts will discuss successful techniques that are working for them.

The call will include a 40-minute presentation, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session.

Members are encouraged to e-mail questions to the panel in advance to Michael Copp at NAHB.

Topics will include the following:

• Minimizing objections: Understanding buyer needs, wants, abilities and fears
• Being innovative and offering incentives to buyers and employees
• Assessing your sales team
• Strategizing product mix – shopping the competition
• Reducing inventory
• Cutting costs
• Exploring legal means of collections
• Renegotiating credit
• Mortgage credit options for buyers
• Contingency contracts
• Financing tips
• Maximizing vendor, lender and supplier relationships

The speakers are Bonnie Alfriend Fellow, MIRM, Alfriend and Associates, Pebble Beach, Calif.; Daniel Levitan Fellow, MIRM, Levitan & Associates, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Ross Robbins, MIRM, Lee Evans Group/Shinn Consulting, Inc., Littleton, Colo.

To Register

Free online registration is available by clicking here. For more information, read the audio seminar flyer by clicking here.

HBAs and local sales and marketing councils are encouraged to host the audio seminar at their association.

For more information, e-mail Michael Copp at NAHB or call him at 800-368-5242 x8340.

The audio conference is co-hosted by the National Sales and Marketing Council and Biztools™ , NAHB’s comprehensive business management resource on the NAHB Web site. [return to top]

Do you know of a builder who makes a positive impact in their communities through charitable activities? There are many good reasons to honor their generosity by nominating them including:

• Builders, don’t be shy — celebrate your staff’s hard work, and the attention may even inspire others to support local charities.
  
  
• Associations, take advantage of this chance to serve your builder members and bring deserved recognition to their charitable endeavors.  

The Builder Achievement award recognizes NAHB builder, developer and remodeler members for exceptional community service and charitable work. Eight exceptional honorees are recognized in categories including Gold, Silver, Bronze and five Honorable Mentions. Each winner is given a donation ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 that is made in their name to a charity of their choice.

The winners are celebrated at a ceremony at the 2008 International Builders' Show in Orlando this coming February. The complete award description and entry form is available online at www.nahb.org/builderachievement.

For more information, contact Gwyn Donohue in NAHB Public Affairs at 800-368-5242 x8447. [return to top]

All eight GM nameplates are included in the offer — Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Saab and HUMMER.

Vehicles excluded from this offer are Cadillac XLR, XLR-V and STS-V, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and SSR, HUMMER H1 Alpha, and Pontiac Solstice. Medium duty trucks are also excluded.
The $500 exclusive offer can be combined with most retail national and regional incentives in effect at the time of delivery.

For complete details, visit www.gmfleet.com/nahb. The current program runs through Jan. 3.

To obtain a "Proof of Membership Form" for this program to take to your dealer, go to www.nahb.org/MA and click on “GM." For more information, e-mail Tiffany Smith at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8273.

Other Member Advantage Discounts

For the most up-to-date details on the Member Advantage discount program and all of the participating companies, go to  www.nahb.org/MA. [return to top]